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Summer 2010
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Rocket Science Tutors is a volunteer, non-profit 501 c-3 organization dedicated to
improving math and science education. See our website for more information.
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In April, RST completed its 5th year of bringing after-school STEM
activity to the Santa Ana School District, bringing the total number
RST “graduates” to approximately 250. This milestone would not
have been attained without the support of our sponsors. This year
had several significant developments including participation in
Time Warner Cable’s Connect A Million Minds campaign, an airing
on KOCE, the addition of new RST volunteers, and a field trip to
UCI Engineering Laboratories.
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In what has become a standard event, the RST program
cumulated with each student building and launching a chemical
rocket. This year, roughly 80 rockets were built and flown.
Prior to the excitement of building hardware, the students
participated in a “Rocket Theory” class where they learned
about Newton’s Laws, Center of Gravity, Center of Pressure
and calculated the descent rate using the Parachute Equation.
A small amount of trigonometry was used to determine the
rocket’s altitude.
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KOCE-TV spotlights Rocket Science Tutors
Orange County’s Public Education channel KOCE came to Carr Intermediate for two sessions in April 2010 to
see first hand how excited kids can get during the RST activities. Reporter Michael Taylor and his cameraman
came to video tape first the rocket building session, and then came back a week later to witness the rocket
launching by a dozen students. The program was first aired on April 29, and can be viewed in the on-line
archives at the following link: http://video.koce.org/video/1500513134/
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RST is excited to add MacArthur Fundamental
School as the latest school to host our 24-week
program starting this fall. In April, RST conducted the
Rocket Theory-Build-Launch sequence at MacArthur
as a primer. We look forward to establishing the entire
RST program there this fall.
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Visit Our Website:
www.rocketsciencetutors.com
Email Us:
nino@rocketsciencetutors.com
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On June 9th, RST coordinated a field trip for 36 of
our McFadden Intermediate School students to
UCI’s Biomedical Engineering Labs. This tour,
planned and executed by RST’s UCI volunteers,
exposed our 8th graders to the inner workings of an
actual research lab. Some of the highlights were:
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 Laser
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Lab- Students visited the microvascular
therapeutics & imaging laboratory where laserbased imaging is used to monitor blood flow.
Students learned how and why various laser types
can be used for different medical applications.
Students also received various optical elements to take home to demonstrate the principles of selective
reflection, polarization, and diffraction.
Microfluidics- Students toured a lab where microdroplets and bubbles are made for drug delivery and other
applications. The students participated in demos to learn about concepts the researchers use to generate
and control the droplets, including surface tension, viscosity and pH. All of the students had the opportunity
to hold a microfluidic device and observe one in action.
Cell Biology- Students learned that their body is made up of cells and that these cells can be visualized
under a microscope with different kinds of stains. Students were able to take a sample of their own skin
cells using clear tape and stained the cells with Trypan Blue, allowing the cells to appear blue. Each
student had the opportunity to look at their cells under the microscope and was given a print-out picture of
their cells to take home.
Ultrafast Spectroscopy Lab- - Students learned about the size and time scale of molecular motion. They
were exposed to a state of the art scanning tunneling microscope (STM) used to record images of
molecules and atoms and an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) used to study carbon nanotubes. The
participants also learned about properties of light and how a laser works. RST students looked inside a
Titanium-Sapphire (Ti:Saph) laser set up capable of producing very powerful laser pulses and saw a second
tunable Ti:Saph laser capable of producing light of different colors. They were allowed to operate a photon
detector using a Helium-Neon
Laser.
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The half-day event ended
with
ice cream being made with liquid nitrogen. This field trip allowed students to
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participate in, rather than just
observe, the workings of a real
engineering lab. For many students,
this was their first visit to a college
campus. RST is hopeful that this
field trip can become an annual
event. In addition to RST volunteers
who are UCI graduate students, we
also extend our thanks to Javier
Prieto, Dr. Monica Moya, Shia-Yen
Teh, Maulik Patel, Katrina Spencer
and several other UCI students as
well as the principal investigatorsDrs. Choi, Hui, George, Lee and
Apkarian- who made this an
unforgettable experience for our RST
students.
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Teacher Testimonial
I have been teaching for thirty
seven years. The Rocket
Science Program is one of the
best I have ever seen in
motivating students to learn
and understand science… I
have seen these students
become interested and excited
about science because of their
involvement in the program.
These student’s test scores
and grades have improved
remarkably… In the Rocket
Science Program they have
had the opportunity to learn by
doing
and
they
have
succeeded admirably. As a
classroom teacher I am very
grateful for the learning
experiences
the
Rocket
Science Program has provided
my students. – David Drayer,
Teacher, Carr Intermediate
School
UCI Volunteer Update
RST congratulates the following UCI volunteers who
graduated this year: Hiroshi Okabe (MS), Transon Nguyen
(BS) and Gary Liaw (MS). We are also pleased to have the
following UCI students join our ranks this year: Bruce Yang,
Wes Moy, Austin Moy, Luis Alonzo and Dr. Monica Moya.
A complete listing of RST volunteers can be found at our
website: www.rocketsciencetutors.com.
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RST QUICK FACTS
RST after school STEM program provided at no cost to
school:
• Professional contact: Live engineers in the
classroom
• Emphasizes the math/science connection
• Low Student/engineer ratio: 5 students to 1
engineer typical
• Sustained effort: 24 weeks of hands-on learning
• Comprised of an all-volunteer workforce
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RST participated in Time Warner Cable’s “Connect A Million
Minds” event by conducting the “Catapult Lab” at Mendez
Fundamental School. More information regarding TWC’s
program can be found at www.connectamillionminds.com. In
addition, the RST session building and racing solar powered
vehicles at McFadden Intermediate School was videotaped
and aired on TWC. In addition, RST was interviewed for HLN
Local Edition.
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Thanks to our sponsors:
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